The Sustainable Design Toolbox

Revit Architecture 2011 new sustainable design functionality

There are three new features of the Autodesk Revit Architecture 2011 release that will help designers with sustainable design decisions. These are:

The Sun Path Tool

Similar to the sun path found in Ecotect Analysis, this will help provide a greater understanding of shading and overshadowing issues with interactive control of the sun's position.

Analysis Visualisation Framework 

This provides really significant potential for developers to produce building performance analysis tools that will display the results within Revit. This lays the groundwork for greater things in the area of sustainable design. Whilst we will have to wait and see what tools get produced, this could well be one of the most exciting new functions long term.

 
  
Access to Autodesk Green Building Studio Web Service

Previously only available as a Subscription Benefit with Autodesk Ecotect Analysis, Revit Architecture & Revit MEP 2011 Subscription customers will now also be able to access Green Building Studio too. This is something many customers have been asking me for over the last year and it is great to see it has now happened.

 

It's that time again.....Autodesk 2011 products announced

 
 
Today saw the marketing launch of the Autodesk 2011 portfolio of products. It is always an exciting (and very busy) time seeing what's new and already many blogs are awash with details of the new offerings. You can find out more about the new releases on the Autodesk website. AutoCAD 2011 is available for Subscription customers to download today, other products will appear over the coming weeks/months.

Green Building Studio 4.2 Release Notes

In my February 1st post about the new release of Green Building Studio I said I would let you know when the release notes are available. You can now find them here:

Green Building Studio 4.2 Release Notes

EU Sustainable Energy Week

This week is the European Union Sustainable Energy Week with various events taking place in Brussels and throughout the rest of the EU. You can read more here:

Sustainable Energy Week Events

Autodesk expands Clean Tech Grant to Europe

Autodesk yesterday announced the expansion of the Clean Tech programme into Europe. This provides grants for design and engineering software to early-stage clean technology companies who are working to solve some of the World’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The Autodesk Clean Tech Software Grant includes up to five licences each of:

AutoCAD® Inventor® Professional
Autodesk® Showcase® Professional
Autodesk® Vault Manufacturing
Autodesk® Navisworks® Manage
Autodesk® Revit® Architecture
Autodesk® Alias® Design

More about the Autodesk Clean Tech programme and details on applying for a grant can be found at www.autodesk.com/cleantech

The press release for yesterday's announcement can be read here.

Ecobuild 2010 Roundup

Last week I attended the Ecobuild 2010 show in London. It is amazing how this show keeps growing and is testament to the impetus behind sustainability in the built environment. Some 45000 attendees were expected. Of course there were a lot of eco products on show, but for me the best aspect was the various seminars taking place over the three days. I am hoping the presentations will be posted to the Ecobuild website for reference.

What was most apparent this year was the emphasis on improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock through retrofit, vital if the UK GHG targets are to be met. There is a massive challenge for industry to address and it was interesting to hear the discussions taking place around the need to balance cost against efficiency gains.

Finally thanks must go to to the UK Green Building Council whose stand we helped out on. If you are in the UK and not yet a member, consider joining. An outline of the membership benefits can be found here.